The Rise and Fall of the World of Bhaktar
by ShakeAtWork
Summary: A stark drama which utilizes famous gaming icons such as Link, Samus, Mario and Magus. Must-read for RPG fans andor fans of dark, grim stories.
1. Default Chapter

Hi, all. I'm somewhat of a colleague of Sir Bormun (If you haven't started reading his 'Champions of Time and Space', I urge you to do it now), meaning we use the same message board to display our fiction. Although Bormun's story is of wider, grander scope, I had a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' going at the time which used famous gaming characters in a very stark, grim manner. Summary of the concept 'CYOA': I would write a chapter, and then present the audience with a choice. Behind each choice would be subtle rewards and punishments (Later on, there were more 'trade-offs' then flat-out right or wrongs). Entire story arcs would be launched, delayed or forgotten upon their choices.  
  
I'll include what the audience chose at the end of each chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have.  
  
Shake

---------------------------------------------

**2010, Bhaktar.   
**  
A figure sitting in a chair in a dark room   
  
A gruff dark voice with a menacing undertone speaks from the darkness. His lips, as well as his face are barren of all light. You can only see the outline of his figure, and the movements of his head.   
  
"Everyone had his place. Everyone was in order. Bhaktar had its little rivalry's, but everyone was happy nonetheless. It was a flat round world, and the edges were cut off by force fields, which after a few casualty's were no longer tested by the inhabitants, which I can only describe as varied if compared to yours. In the centre of Bhaktar is a central hub, from which all surrounding sections are controlled. This hub is closed of from the rest of the world."   
  
The figure took a sip from a glass of water that was sitting on a near-by table. He shifted his balance on the chair before continuing.   
  
"The inhabitants never sought the knowledge of the hub. It had no purpose to wonder why it was placed there, who controlled it, or why it was closed. It was accepted by all for what it was: the home of Gods. The questions would soon be posed. But I am getting ahead of myself........ Every section was distinctly different from all the others. Every day the people that lived in the different slices surrounding the hub were given problems to overcome. One section would decidedly be given obstacles, for example, and it took great jumps and cunning timing to overcome these. Another section would require great skill with a sword and magic. And I could go on and on......but it is of no ...importance."   
  
With every section came his own hero's, the best at their game. The pinnacle of this was Link. While most lacked the sufficient skill and talent and retreated to lives not dissimilar to your own, the real champion's stood up and mastered every test. Every section had a local.......hero."   
  
The figure's body leaned slightly forward as he had spat the last word with a grin.   
  
"Things are quite different now. If only we had seen it coming. Link's rise to fame came to quick, he was applauded by too many. He believed he had what it took and shook the world as he announced he and he alone would conquer the hub, and free the whole community. This was nothing short of heresy, but who were they to doubt Link?"   
  
"The people celebrated Link as he succeeded; he slew the people behind the electronic devices. They were easy targets, most of them overweight and unfit. It was not even a challenge. Nobody knew how Link had broken the seal to the hub, although no attempt that anyone can recall was ever made."   
  
"Link was the new ruler. He said he could better their lives, for he was their liberator. He would divide everything equally, regulate their lives and maintain order in the sometimes unruled parts of Bhaktar. Off course nobody was in need of liberation, but all were to busy celebrating the elf to remember. He could do no wrong. What **fools** we were...." 


	2. A serpent walks the streets

**The year is 2033.**  
  
Link's forces are everywhere. The world is equally divided.......everyone has little or nothing better then the tattered clothing they wear or the crumbs of food they find, save the higher ups in the Link Alliance. There have been numerous revolts over the years.........they all failed. The combined force of Airforce commander CATS as well as the ground troops of Megaman027 are the biggest and most merciless army in existence. A combination of human's coupled with androids( as well for their expertise in battle as to ensure the loyalty of the human troops)they are a threat you cannot take on in the open. Crono's army was the only one who took Link's forces to their limit, but it proved insufficient in the end...........  
  
CATS, a ruthless commander who was directly responsible for bombing several residential parts of the city, namely the ones under Crono's control. Without a second thought he set sympathizer's of Crono as well as their wife's,children and family's up the bomb. Whenever his zigs trail into sight women gather their children and hide wherever they can. Most know that it's futile, and make their time. They have no chance.........  
  
Once a man,the name of Megaman027, the twentyseventh incarnation of the merciless second-in-command of Link, is feared beyond comprehension. Killed in the original uprising,The first revolt, the test that secured or lost the thrust for power of the Link Party, his memory and consciousness was copy'd into a data storage device. Now, countless androids were used to bring this gruesome being back into the world of the living, and one by one they either malfunctioned or were assassinated from a distance. A considerable distance. Because the latest forms in which he resided were becoming more lethal with each new model. Until CATS, somewhat an expert in cryogenic symbiosis,suggested the only option to make the fusion work perfectly. Let Mark's (his original name) personality merge with the android. Now, with Mark's ruthless traits and the calculating ability off a computer Megaman cant be stopped any longer. Its a one-man army.  
  
Cats helped a team of Link's finest engineers to prepare a suitable Android for his transformation. A deadly model, the 027th, was armed with automatic machine guns as well as heat seeking missiles capable of destroying an entire residence section, and these only hinted at the true power he possessed. Mega-man is what won the war for Link when things turned Crono's way at the end. Crono's location was impossible to determine, even for Cats vigilant infiltrators. It was known only to a select group,of which a few names were known to the Link Alliance. Mega-man captured the girl named Marle, and she fell within the hour his "convincing argument". Megaman was dreaded, he had been known to torture people for days on end, being carefull not to end it by accidental death. The rare time he chose to execute a resistance member in public had a terrifying effect on the general population. Some people betrayed friends and family resistance members if they were captured themselves. Even the most loyal of men succumbed to Mega's horrible devices.  
  
He whispered to his victim's through the entire ordeal, and although he had plenty of torture apparatus, none gave him more pleasure then attaching various horrible things on the end of his robotic arm. Marle had given in to some of his most usefull techniques. He killed her, and sent a message to the resistance headquarters, of which he had the location now, thanks to Marle. The message read: "Come claim your red-headed girlfriend in Sephurst Stadium in the Maral Sector (it was the sports section in the old days) Bring your Katana, and no-one else. She dies if I suspect anything."  
  
Mega-man had meant it. He wanted to duke it out, one on one. But Link had little respect for honor. Warrior's pride meant nothing to a politician, and thats what he had become. Nothing reminded people of the old hero anymore, he had become unfit and a ruthless dictator. He had ordered Cats to move his Zigs and bomb the stadium. It was annihilated. Crono was never heard from again. Megaman was outraged, and this incident created a dent in the bond between Link and Mega-man that lives on to this day.....

**CHOICE**

Whith who's perspective should we begin?  
  
A: Solid Snake **CHOSEN**

B: Mega-man 027

C: Tommy Vercetti

**3.24, AM. August 28, 2033. Khatar Sector**  
  
A figure can be seen, partly hidden by shadows, leaning against a near broken down wall. Around him are homes that lie in ruin, an even more frightening sight because of the silence that accompany's them. Total stillness. Except for one man's breath. In and out. A trail of smoke escapes the shadowy outlines of the figure.  
  
_Where is that grunt? If he strays like this every single time we have an appointment, Double M is going to get him sooner or later. How are we to pull this of with such imbeciles on the job?_ sigh _You aint working with professionals here fellow. Just amateurs with a cause."_ he thought.  
  
He took a few more intakes of his cigarette before he dropped it, then he fluently entered the shadows, making no sound what so ever. _I have to find this dick, be professional, dont get irritated. This is worse then Zanzibar. At least everyone was serious about their mission, no clowns like this one.  
_  
Swiftly sneaking through the dark, the stillness would be discouraging enough to destroy one's hope of finding anything. No-one was foolish enough to violate Link's curfew, MM's troops patrolled from midnight 'till 6 AM. But he was a no rooky, used to working alone for long periods of time. But somehow this was different...  
  
_His business is his own, but if it in any way violates the mission there is going to be hell to pay. Just until I reach the gate, then you will be rid of him for good. If I ever find him. A full hour late now. He could be dead for a half hour now. Then the mission would be over. He is the only one who can get me into the hub..._**?!!!!**  
  
Snake's trained ears picked up a sound. Loud sirens from a considerable distance. A patrol. He dropped down his body and hid himself under some cardboard and rubble, only his eyes glaring out. There was no shortage of debris in the Khatar sector, were in the old days the shooting hero's like himself and his partner were born. Although the programmer's were slain and the problems vanished, there were still a lot of good shooter's in this area. There was one in particular he had been unable to recruit for the resistance. _Aran. We could have used he.._  
  
A closeby sound pulled him from his musings. An android flashed by, quickly followed by 2 dozen others. One figure considerably shorter then the rest. _It couldn't be......_ "Split up, we know they are in this sector, report to me if you see any trace of them. Move out !" The androids spread to all directions. Megaman just stayed were he was, alone.  
  
_Just my luck. I have to find him first._ Suddenly, Snake saw movement to his right. A figure was making an effort to hide himself. A very poor effort. _He's lucky he stumbled onto me instead of MM.  
_  
_MM........_ Snake found himself staring at the little android. _He looks so vulnerable. We all know how strong he is, but we will have to deal with that damn thing sooner or later. We might not get a chance like this again....I could get lucky. If only Samus were here. Then we could have mopped that dwarf up together. Too bad she lives on the other side of the sector. Stay focused, Snake, you have to find Vercetti.  
_

**CHOICE**

**What should Snake do?**  
  
A= Investigate the figure hiding from the androids.**CHOSEN**

B= Take on Megaman.

C= Go to West Khatar and try to find Samus Aran.  
  
**3.46, AM. August 28, 2033. Khatar Sector**  
  
Snake shook off the notion of taking on Megaman027.  
  
_It **would** be a battle against a squadron of Blanks... but I'm just one man. It was a nice thought while it lasted. I wont be worth much to the resistance if I'm dead. Too many people consider men who die needlessly as hero's. Good men have died for causes not their own. And I'm no hero. Just doing my job.....I need to concentrate on the task at hand.  
_  
Snake began crawling toward the figure in the shadows. He seemed to be trembling. _If that android searches here........I will have too little time to hide him. He really is a grunt_  
  
He looked at Megaman027 one last time. He seemed to be talking through a standard issue LDC. He then watched as Megaman027 sped off with incredible speed towards the Center of Khatar. _Thats one less threat_..............** !!??**  
  
The figure Snake had been watching had begun to emerge from his hiding place....or what passed for one. He quickly sneaked behind him once he had determined his identity.  
  
"Get down rooky. Double M isn't the only one on patrol"  
  
A major tremble went through Vercetti's body as if he had been struck by lighting. He didn't comply with the request, instead he made an annoyed hand gesture and spat at Snake : "You fucking lunatic ! You scared the living daylights outta me. "  
  
"Keep your voice down and hit the ground " Snake glaringly lectured. "And follow me. I need to talk to you and this is no place for a chat." Tommy muttered a few insults while he complied. " Dont try to boss me around Snake, I'm not your fucking GI Joe alright?!" "I dont take orders from you." Snake simply nodded his head into the direction they were going.  
  
They proceeded into an old abandoned house that Snake often used as a meeting site for the Resistance. Rats scurried away as Snake moved some rotten wood that had obviously been there to cover an entrance. They went inside.  
  
"This dump is friggin' filthy Snake , We should have gone to my...."  
  
"Where the **HELL** have you been?!" Snake kept his voice down as he grunted this, but it was obvious he wasn't going to be satisfied with a less then detailed explanation.  
  
Vercetti felt Snake's eyes piercing his. He was getting uncomfortable with Snake's attitude, but he knew he shouldn't push it. He felt a twinge of guilt. He knew he had been out of line. "I went to see Maria.." his tone was flat as he said it. Then he suddenly shouted :"I'm just a man, I am not a part of your bloody resistance which by the way has as much chance as a blue moon on a friggin' Friday of work.."  
  
Snake finally raised his voice : " You jeopardized the mission to cheat on your wife and family?" "You are an hour late, not only that, but your brother-in-law is vital to the succes of this mission. If Nikki found out, this little visit could have blown it, Tommy. When are you going to take this seriously? "  
  
"How is Nikki going to get a message through to a Link Honor Guard in time to screw things up?" Vercetti exclaimed. "Tell me that one." "And when did you become so friggin' stuck-up Snake? You weren't like this in the old days when.."  
  
"In the old days a lot of things were different Tom. You just changed for the _worse_"  
  
Both men stood eye to eye as Snake suddenly realized this wasn't going anywhere. He had lost all respect for Tommy when he had lost himself in the fantasy world the hub provided, and started living the fantasy. They all changed and grew because of the problems but Tommy................he had lost all of his thinking.  
  
No-one had been more opposed to tapping Vercetti's brother-in-law then him. He had known an Honor Guard wasn't going to take risks if he didn't get to see the genuine article. And working with Vercetti was not something he wanted. Although even he didn't think he would screw this up as badly as he had done now....  
  
Sigh "Lets just get on with the mission..................rooky" Snake whispered with a softer voice then he had before. "You wasted enough time already"  
  
For the first time Vercetti saw his old friend as he had known him.The last comments seemed more of a tease then a lecture. He relaxed. "Alright Snake......lets get this ball rolling"  
  
Snake led Vercetti out of the compound as the two men argued about how to get to the Hub without being detected by android patrol. "Snake I am telling you, we dont have time for a detour." "Fritz is only guarding the hub for another 45 minutes and the trip there is only 10 if we take the Freeman main road through the city Center."  
  
"Tom, I saw Double MM heading in that exact direction. It is too dangerous. Especially with that shirt you have on. You are the only one I know who would wear a Hawaiian shirt for an undercover mission" Snake said with an even expression."If we move fast we might have a chance"  
  
"Dont you talk down on my threads, I don't look good in black'. And I am telling ya, you aint the only one who can hide yourself. I can follow your lead Snake, we wont be captured by a couple of friggin' refridgerators !" Vercetti exclaimed , clearly cheered up now he had confessed his failure.  
  
"The time for jokes is over Tommy. Get serious fast. "Snake said sharply.  
  
After a silence Vercetti said with pleading eyes : " Let me do something right for a change. I've fucked up so much Snake. Even our friendship..............**I can do this**...............  
  
Snake wasted no more time and nodded. Silently they made there way into the Khatar Center , dodging patrol after patrol. Vercetti , not as good as Snake, looked determined not to fail Snake again. They were a 100 yards from the main residential area. It looked abuzz with activity, although it was impossible to see from here what exactly was going on.  
  
The two men nodded to each other with puzzled expressions when Snake spotted something. "Get down" he hissed. "There is something on the side of the road. It looks like a body. I am almost certain of it. My gut tells me something is wrong here Tommy..............the guards should have removed it, in plain sight like that."

**CHOICE**

**What should Snake and Vercetti do?**  
  
A: Trust Vercetti and let him scout the city and Snake will check out the body. (Perspective goes to Snake)

B: Trust Vercetti and let him scout the body while Snake checks out the city. ( Perspective goes to Vercetti)

C: They stay together and let Snake check out the body before going to the city.**CHOSEN **

D: They stay together and move around the body to check out the city Center.

Vercetti: "You're right Snake. This is fishy. I know a set-up when I see one. You can check it out right?  
  
Snake:"Yeah I can." Snake put on his night vision goggles with one swift move. "I see 3 human grunts waiting for us to show ourselves. The corpse is bait. We will see about that." With that, Snake began to crawl around the 3 men so he would come up behind them.  
  
Seeing the look in his eyes, Vercetti knew exactly what Snake was going to do. He felt a bit uneasy about it all. Vercetti: "I can go ahead and see what all the ruckus is about. I live right up there , I'm worried about my little boys. And I don't know if I'm too comfortable killing 3 soldiers Snake, you might be in the resistance, but I have a family and if we get spotted I will be a ing fugitive. "  
  
Snake: 'So now you're a family man all of a sudden? Just watch my back Vercetti. If we get spotted we're dead. Don't worry about running. You are either IN or OUT Tom. No in-betweens. I_ wont let him go into the Center alone. Not after what I just spotted. Can't tell Tom yet, but I have to move fast._ "Now stay low and cover me" Snake hissed.  
  
At this moment the heavens opened and the water hammered down. _The August rain. It hasn't changed. Makes my job a little easier_. The grass on both sides of the roads looked wetgreen and pleased .  
  
The soldier moved fast, a SOCOMB ready in his right hand. He was 12 meters behind the 3 soldiers. Vercetti couldn't help but admire his old friend . With the moonlight shining full Vercetti still had a hard time tracking him. _Don't go dreaming on me now, watch your targets_. Vercetti readied his sniper rifle and waited for Snake to do his business. He didn't wait long.  
  
The three guards seemed to have a conversation going. They were laughing and whispering to one another. Snake fired two quick rounds with his silenced SOCOMB into the head and neck of one of the guards. Dark blood was spilling from his skull like a secret. His friend to the right began yelling and screaming : "Dave is down !" The shocked soldier looked to his left but his friend had barely time to nod before he joined Dave in the world of the deceased. A carefully aimed shot in his forehead was all it took.  
  
The last guard had taken cover behind a piece of standalone wall that was there for no particular reason. It was impossible for Snake to take a shot now. In the meanwhile he felt exposed. _This is your cue Tommy, I'm wide open here_  
  
"What the is he doing?" Tommy murmured to himself. "Whatever it is, I'm stopping it now." He aimed his sniper rifle and pulled the trigger. The man was hit full in the face, making a nasty display before going down. But this wasn't what worried Snake at all.  
  
Just before the man went down , he shot a light round in the air. Like fireworks, a red tail of fire now crossed through the stars above. Snake made his way to the corpse they had originally seen lying on the side of the road, which was fully accessible now. _What the hell is this?  
_  
The anonymous soldier had little in common with a man anymore, it looked more like random pieces of meat from a slaughterhouse. Where his arm was supposed to, were strings of flesh that suggested it was simply torn off. On his left hand he had 2 fingers left, but the nails were pulled out. The blood was all dried up, this man had been dead for at least an hour. This had all the marking's of a Megaman027 interrogation. Then something piqued his interest. _What is that on his left shoulder.............**LHG**...........oh my God...............  
_  
Vercetti came running towards him. "Sorry, he pulled the trigger before I did. So who is th !**!!!!?? **

Vercetti: Fritz............they kil..."  
  
Suddenly a incredible sound surpassed all else, making it impossible to hear the other speak. Snake looked up at the heavens and saw 3 Zigs moving toward the Center. He had expected them ever since the light round went off. Snake looked at Vercetti.....except he wasn't there.  
  
Snake could see Vercetti running in the distance toward the Center. He went into pursuit but all the while his mind couldn't stop racing.  
  
_If Fritz has been dead an hour..........then everything up 'till this moment has been futile. From what I've heard, Fritz was a coward, but he wouldn't reveal he had been involved with the Resistance unless they forced it out of him. He wouldn't sign his own death certificate. And that wretched maniac had no reason to torture Fritz unless he talked. Something didn't fit................_  
  
Vercetti couldn't think of anything else._ Nikki.....little Micheal.....Tommy jr......_  
  
He looked up to see the zigs release their deadly cargo. Three black messengers of death and destruction were rapidly descending toward the Center. Vercetti felt nauseous as he saw the bombs drop exactly on the building were he lived..............he knew it. There was no chance.  
  
As he dropped to his knee's he could taste the salt of his tears that were streaming down like a neverending red waterfall of fury. He stood up, and looked over his shoulder to see Snake rushing up to meet him. He was grieving for his family, but his rage was taking over, consuming every piece of him.  
  
_Damn him and his Resistance. He got me into this. The only thing that meant a damn to me in this world and they just took it from me. They are going to pay.......my God if there is one thing in my life I pledge is that they are going to hang for this. **Bastards**........._  
  
His demeanor was calm as Snake approached him. His mind was set. He was going in. He was assembling his M-16 as Snake spoke up.  
  
"Dont give them what they want Tom. You know they set this up. Dont end up like Fritz, they want you for the information, they will torture you just like him."  
  
Vecetti pulled a handgun and pointed it right at Snake's left eye, barely 2 inches away. He answered with the gruff voice of a man that just lost everything : "They didn't just bomb your family Snake, they murdered mine. This is not your concern. Go back to your Resistance. This mission is over, soldier '. He spoke the last word with as much contempt as a man's voice can contain.  
  
Snake just stared at him. Everything he said would be useless. Tom had lost all sanity, and he couldn't hold it against him. Despite his unfaithfulness, Tommy had always been a family man at heart. And now they had crushed that heart into little pieces.  
  
Vercetti holstered the gun and put his arms around his M-16. He marched towards the city at a determined pace. Snake had no choice but to follow. He wasn't going to let his friend die. But he knew the city would be swarming with androids waiting for them.  
  
A guarding unit was set-up , 5 android patrol units complemented by 3 humans. It would have been best to pick of the humans first by sniping, but Vercetti was beyond rational thought. He had entered a berserked rage, he came out blasting 2 grenades at the unit. The blasting sound added to the chaos that already surrounded the Center, although order had at least been partially restored by Duke Nukem's Order platoon.  
  
The grenades wiped out all of the humans and only 2 of the androids were still standing, heavily damaged. Vercetti let his weapon rattle, unleashing an insane amount of rounds at the machines. Although they fell soon after, he kept shooting at the fallen androids. "Cold blooded murderers " he hissed with fiery bloodlust in his eyes.  
  
Snake kept his friend to his left as he entered the Center, his stealth far too refined to be noticed by the possessed gangster. Duke Nukem's Unit had restored order, there were no more civilians on the streets but corpses were spread across the ground like leaves on a windy day in Fall. Random execution was Nukem's usual way of scaring the population back into the buildings.  
  
Vercetti came out blazing. A man with a personal vendetta and fueled by his anger, he fought far better then he had ever could before. Android after android was shot to pieces, soldier after soldier incinerated by the flamethrower that was mounted on Vercetti's specialized weapon, as Snake helped him with his Nikita's from an undisclosed location. Battered and wounded he made his way through the streets until he appeared at the crossroad of the main street of the center, at which his building was located. He could see from here there was nothing left but rubble, half burning fires sizzling calmly.  
  
"Looking for your family.......... Vercetti?" The Italian turned his tired body to see Duke Nukem standing with an arsenal equipped that would put a regular army to shame. " Too bad your wife was killed in the explosion. I planned to have my way with her before we killed her, but you had to go and set off the signal. You robbed your miss's of the best time of her life.." Nukem shouted with a grin.  
  
All the anger was now aimed at the colossal Duke. The taunts of the soldier were too much to bear for the already heavily stressed Vercetti. Every fiber in his body screamed for vengeance, and no better victim then this man.  
  
With a scream of primal emotion Vercetti ran toward the giant. Untill the sight of something stopped him dead in his tracks.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" "You might just hit something you didn't want to..."  
  
_That insane mechanical voice......that robotic maniac_." Snake thought from the rubble he had taken position in. _Oh my God.........I have to do something_...  
  
Megaman027 had a 5 year old child on his shoulder, left arm and leg limply hanging, obviously broken, looking dazed. "His mother was selfless enough to throw him from the first floor, I thought you would like to have a last kiss from your son before you die. "  
  
With that, MM027 set the child on the ground and kicked him in the direction of Vercetti.  
  
Vercetti had no anger in his heart anymore. All the feelings of fatherhood welled up inside of him. And his heart broke to see his Micheal like this. He started to walk towards his son....  
  
"No-no-no, Tommy......Let him come to you, if you move, I shoot him. He is a strong boy Vercetti, have a little faith in your son." MM027 sadistically added with an insane twinkle in his eyes.  
  
_I.........I.......cant...._ Vercetti felt helpless. The thought of attacking the two hadn't even crossed his mind. He had one thought that discarded all others: "_ Micheal..._  
  
The child was bawling, he tried to crawl toward his father who had his arms outstretched , and he was just an inch away when it happened...  
  
MM027 fired his armgun at Micheal. The child let out a high-pitched scream before falling to the ground, blood flung sideways as the energy pulse entered his neck, staying motionless. The air was heavy with emotion, only disturbed by the robotic cackle MM027 was unleashing. The Duke, looking disturbed himself, was frantically looking in turn at MM027 and at Vercetti.  
  
_No_  
  
**No**  
  
**_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**  
  
Vercetti let his shoulders drop. He had no reason to live, no will left to fight.  
  
"I guess we better end this right now...." MM027 aimed his armgun at Vercetti as he said it.  
  
Snake jumped from behind onto the back of Nukem , slicing his throat from left to right in an attempt at diverting Megaman027. The android still released his shot which hit Vercetti square in the shoulder. As the limp body of the late Nukem fell to the ground, Megaman threw his body with mesmerizing speed into Snake. The soldier landed 30 feet farther into a pile of debris, the fire burning his back.  
  
_Have to.......stand up......ahhhh....my ribs...._  
  
Megaman slowly marched toward the beaten soldier."What you did was pointless. He was useful, but trivial. You don't win wars with Nukem's. He was an annoyance anyway."  
  
"Vercetti was a fool, but I thought u were smarter then him, Snake. Sacrificing your own life only to join a doomed friend is inefficient. I would have expected more from a veteran soldier. You let your emotion cloud your judgment, private. You are guilty of endangering your mission. This Court Marshall sentences you to DEATH "  
  
With a maniacally high pitched screech he let out the last word, bringing his arm up to deliver the final blow..  
  
Snake watched it all in slow-motion, as if his senses were slowed. Then he watched MM027 as he pointed his weapon at him. He accepted his fate. Then with a delayed wave of sound and flashing light Snake saw Megaman falling to the side, to reveal Samus Aran . Samus.. He barely caught the purple haze in the corner of his left eye, waving with the winds. Apparently someone was standing next to him. "Prepare for the void.......Darkmatter" he heard the figure say. _Magus? Then I will live....._ He saw Megaman struggling with the shadow magic, trying to fight of the gravity.  
  
With a scream he broke the spell. Snake felt Magus scoop him up and hanging him on his shoulder. Samus Aran flew towards them on a glider, and Magus jumped on.  
  
Megaman027 was readying his missiles when suddenly Vercetti clasped his arms around him from behind, two grenades in each hand. His shoulder and neck were bleeding profusely and you could see Megaman surprised at the attack from the presumed dead mobster.  
  
**" DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!"**  
  
The glider sped out of view as the deathcry of Vercetti was replaced with an explosion which shook the ground they flew over.  
  
"If I may ask, where are you taking me, bounty hunter? " the wizard said with mock politeness.  
  
"We rid the world of Megaman and you want to know where we are going?" Samus asked incredulously.  
  
"Oh, I doubt that. You may take me to our headquarters, I need to speak with our leader. I took this of Nukem's body" The wizard held up a black glove which had the marking of the Link Alliance on it. "It is a pledge of allegiance to Link's cause, from one of our operatives. We have a traitor in our midst. They had too much information. We have several gloved members, including me. But the spy must have been an expert at hiding his identity, probably someone trained in this manner. " Why are you telling me this? " "I came here because they were destroying my home, and to help Solid Snake. I have no interest in joining your inefficient Resistance" Samus said clearly.  
  
"After you have spoken to our leader, I think you just might. You are shortsighted, bounty hunter, for you can accomplish nothing alone. The weak together can outmatch the strong. It is a lesson I have learned, and one my friend Crono had forgotten."

::To be continued::


End file.
